Trying to figure out a dollar value to ask for, I did a bit of research today. Step one was to search google for "Java Developer Salary Average"The first hit was from JustJavaJobs.com. While this does not take region into account, it does seem to imply that as a Java Developer with about 4 years of experience, 80K is about average. Higher if any "management" creeps into my job. Note that this was based on statistics from 2000.

A also found this article on DevX.com, which seems to imply little overall change in compensation from 2000 to 2001, and definitely no major drop. That's good to know. This survey gives a U.S. Average salary of $83,421. My main project is wireless development, which they say averaged $95,720.

Finally, there was this article, based on stats from dice.com. This cites an average salary of 83K.

I'm willing to low ball this a bit, but I don't think I just want to blindly accept the initial offer.